The Silence of the Golden Witch
by Kaiser Greedy
Summary: In her search to absolve her ever-present boredom, Bernkastel come across a curious yet odd fragment, an old familiar board filled with new characters, bizarre twists, incompetent idiots and brutal murders… A perfect pastime for a witch of miracles.
1. Into the Abyss

_AN: Well, after some hesitation, I've finally decide to add my own tale into the wonderful world of Umineko!_

 _This is just the prologue of my story, so please, don't feel hesitate to criticize the plot or point out any errors you find within this chapter as it all can help me further improve my writing style and how to better develop certain characters in the near future._

 _Without further ado, please enjoy_

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Into the Abyss_

* * *

" _How dull_ …"

She paused for moment, her emotionless eyes slowly examined the landscape that stood before her.

" _Dull, Dull, Dull_ …"

There was nothing new to see of course, no matter how far she travel deeper and deeper into the endless void that was called sea of fragments, nothing would ever change.

The same dim suns would persist to shine its' hollow light across the bizarre purplish sky as small pockets of fragments would frequently appear and disappear from her sight, drifting aimless across this forsaken sea,

" _Pointless…"_

She shook her head and begin moving forward once more, positioning her knees before making another jump onto the rough surface of a small fragment, her eyes briefly catching a glimpse of the veiled world that she was standing on top of,

" _A stoic arsonist, a self-loathing cannibal and_ a _claustrophobia megalomaniac, all in one room with one rotting corpse…dear me, these kids really are getting creative these days, aren't they?"_

She found herself smirking at her petty thought, amused by the mere notion that there existed a gamemaster who honestly believed that such absurd pieces could even work without having the entire chessboard collapse on itself.

" **Wouldn't that be such a wonderful sight to behold** _?"_

For a mere moment, she could almost feel an old familiar feeling creeping up on her, whispering softly in her ears to go on and venture into this ridiculous world. Just long enough to see how this insignificant tale would fail and offer a splendid form of entertainment for its' utter stupidity…

If she had been younger and naiver, she would have allowed that little devil called curiosity get the best of her and led her astray once more in a foolish hope of curing that incurable disease of hers…

 _"_ _No, no, that won't do, will it?"_

But for a great witch such as Fredricka Bernkastel, such wanderlust had died within her a long time ago… besides, if she was going to entertain, it might as well be from a tale that at least some degree of standards…

So, she jumped once more, leaping from one fading fragment to another, her mind ignoring the hundreds of parallel worlds that stood only inches away from her feet,

" _Honestly, to think that such a ridiculous tale would get so many forgeries…if I had to guess, some idiot from the senate thought it would be a wonderful idea to promote one of their useless piece's "masterpiece"."_

This might come as a surprise to some, but in order to find any two fragments that hold a similar tale to one another, all it takes is simply remembering the form that original version had appear as when its' game was first created.

Nothing less, nothing more.

Once you had that simple image in mind, no matter what distorted form or shape that it tried to hide itself as, a competent voyager would always be able to recognize any offspring of that particular fragment and enter its' world upon their pleasure.

It was a lesson that Bernkastel had learn well throughout her long life as a wandering witch. After all, she did search over 2578917 fragments to find a certain brat's much desired "miracle".

" _And what a wonderful miracle Lion turned out to be."_ She couldn't help but smirk upon recalling seeing that brat's expression of utter despair upon learning the truth of Rokkenjima's cat box, an image that would have be made so much sweater if her cats had actually managed to catch their prey … it was a such shame that Lambdadelta had to ruin that ending…

" _Honestly, she can be such a spoil brat…Jeez, I can almost picture it, Lambda floating above me, laughing her ass off as I-"_

Then, by chance, the witch's eyes chose at that moment to look towards her right and caught sight of a miserable looking fragment standing only a few feet away from her.

" _Ho-oh?"_

Again, she paused. This time however, the witch found herself slowly moving closer to that unimpressive fragment, almost as if she was enchanted by the mere sight of it.

" _To think that I would find something like after all this time."_

Once upon a time, shortly after she and Lambadlta had parted ways, the endless sea of fragments had been flooded with hundreds upon hundreds of false forgeries, a multiple pile of gameboards all desperately seeking to obtain a small fraction of the glory of the great Golden Witch's cat box.

 _"_ _How dreadful."_

Of course, no matter how polished or alluring some of those forgeries were, none of them ever did managed to properly imitate the scope of Beatrice's magic…

But regardless of what sort of tales that those fakes games told, it was obvious to any passing voyager that all of them had been made in utter admiration and love for that witch's game.

" _Love… yes, they all certainly loved her, didn't they? But-"_ Again, she felt the sudden urge to grin,

 **"** **But they all grew up and moved on to better things."**

Of course, that urge quickly vanished once her thoughts turned to the familiar looking fragment, " **No**." The witch quietly mused, " **I suppose not all of them did managed to let go…"**

"…"

For a brief moment, she poured if she should simply just leave. There was no point in staying after all, it would be a waste of time to stay here and watch this poorly crafted gameboard play out a fake tale utterly inferior to its' original material while she could continue her search for more exciting tragedies.

" _But… if I leave, I doubt that I'll ever come across another copy of that child's game…"_

"…"

It was an accident really, a stock of pure luck… but then again, could such a thing happen with the harvester of miracles?

Without any hesitation, her hand began to gradually stretched out, her fingers touch the smooth surface of the fragment and she-

* * *

 **The Jester of The Golden Witch**

* * *

 _Welcome to Rokkenjima, my fellow voyagers, The Golden Witch extends her heartfelt greetings to all._

 _If you were to be so kind, please take a seat and enjoy a nice cup of warm tea. After enduring such a long and tiresome journey, I'm sure that you're eager to finally explore and experience the many rich wonders and legends surrounding our beloved witch._

 _However, I would humbly request that you do remain patient, there still remains some last-minute preparations that must be made before tonight's main event can commence. As such, the island shall be close to all visitors until further notice._

 _With any luck, our host shall soon be ready and will join you shortly. All you need to do is just be patient._

 _This isn't a difficult request to ask after all._

* * *

 **The Jester of The Golden Witch**

* * *

[ **A bit of advice for those who are brave or curious enough to wander into the sea of fragments.]**

 **[If you ever come across an upset witch in your long travels, offer her a nice cup of tea, make small chat-chit and move on. Simple as that.]**

 **[If you ever come across a bored witch, then calmly point her in the direction of a wonderful yet gruesome tale and move on. That should keep her satisfy...for awhile.]**

 **[If you ever come across a witch smiling at you however...well, I suppose there's no point in telling you what happens next, is there?]**

"…ahahahahaahahahahahahhahahah!"

She was laughing, laughing so hard that she couldn't help but griped both of her arms tightly around her stomach in a fruitless effort to contain in her laugher.

"Ahahaha! Unbelievable, to think that something like this would have the balls to-" Her voice cracked as another bust of laugher quickly escaped from her mouth,

"Ahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahaahahahahahahhah -ah-ah-ah…"

Eventually, her laugher slowly began to quiet down and soon, all that remain was a nice pretty smile that had managed to creep up upon her face.

A smile, that which the great witch of certainty had once officially decreed, felt like as if one was being cut by a sword.

"That's fine."

In a mere instant, a great scythe appeared within her hands, a familiar old tool that she had often used to snatch away countless miracles from those she had deemed unworthy of such a gift.

"Really, what could have ever possessed me to think that such filthy trash like this was even worthy enough to lick the tips of my shoes? Now then-"

" **Come, try to remember, what form did you have?"**

She took a step forward and swung her weapon at full force upon the unsuspecting fragment, the blade inches away from shattering it into a million of pieces and,

and,

and-

" _It stopped…" why did it stop?"_

It didn't her long to answer that puzzling little mystery… after all, it would be pretty hard to ignore the arm sticking out of the small fragment…and holding onto her blade into a bone breaking grip,

 _"_ **Oh my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my** ** _, my_** _"_

Without any time to react, the arm quickly pulled back, causing both the scythe and Bernkastel to fall forward into that veiled fake world of Rokkenjima .

 **"** **You really shouldn't have done that** _."_


	2. Opening Act

_Ah, you're still here?_

 _How wonderful! It's such a delight to find such a well-manner voyager among our humble mist. We welcome you into our beloved home._

 _That being said, I must inform you that as our mistress wishes for little more time to prepare before the grand show can truly begin._

 _A noble performance such as this must not be rushed, no?_

 _But do not despair, noble traveller, for the Golden Witch herself has hear your desperate prayers for salvation from this accused boredom._

 _As a reward for waiting this long, we offer you this present. Something to keep you entertain until the show can truly commence._ _Think of it as the entrée before the main course arrives._ _I do hope that you will appreciate it for what it's worth,_

 _It is a gift after all._

 _The difficulty is standard, nothing too difficult for those willing to just watch and wait._

* * *

 **Episode 1: The Silence of The Golden Witch**

* * *

 **{The First day: October 4, 1986}**

The ocean was rather a curious thing to behold.

Despite its' rather overwhelming pressure to the naked human eye, these was no denying that it always did presented such a lovely view for those brave enough to venture far into its' vast depth, as if rewarding them for overcoming their empty fears and taking that uncertain gamble into the unknown…

Of course, it was only a silly little thought that crossed Battler's mind whenever he had to take that dreadful journey across the sea, something to help ease his fragile nerves. If he were to give it more thought and time, he probably would have thought of something with a more sentimental twist that added a little more flavor or excitement during the dull voyage to the island.

As right of now, his mind was doing everything within its fragile' power to keep himself from vomiting upon the ship's deck.

" _I'm going to die. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die."_

"Ihihihihihihi." Someone was laughing from the inside of the boat, although he couldn't recognise the voice's owner due to the loud deafening sounds coming from the engine (and the fact that he could barely even turn around without his own knees collapsing.),

"Ho-oh~ Battler hadn't change one bit, eh?"

"Hmmm, he never did outgrow his fear of vehicles…"

"What were you expecting? If he couldn't hold it together on the flight here, then I doubt that idiot will make it halfway before deciding to jump off the god-damn boat!"

"Ho-oh~ No need to so harsh, Battler is still a growing young man, Ihihihihihihi~"

"Heh, could have fool me."

Again, the roaring noise of engine made it nearly impossible to distinguish who was exactly speaking but… it wasn't hard to figure out who among his relatives was getting the most enjoyment from his suffering…

" _You really are a prick, aren't you, old man?"_

 ** _Thump_**

 **"** _Shit...why does it have shake so much?_

 ** _Thump_**

 _"_ _This is it, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die-"_

"Battler…"

Almost immediately, he felt a small hand pat against his back, "You shouldn't lean over the railing like that."

 **"** Ah." Slowly **(** while maintaining his solid grip upon the iron bars), Battler turn his head to meet the worry stare of his sister, "Sorry about that Ange, I just-"

 ** _Thump_**

"-I just wanted a clear view of the island before we arrived…It's been awhile since I last seen it, you know?

"…"

"…Come on, Ange, don't give me that look. Honestly, I'm completely fine!"

He offered her a warm (although weak) smile, as if to reassure her that everything was alright. He was her big brother after all, there was no need for her to worry about his own well-being over something so trivia-

 ** _Thump_**

 **"** _Crap, why the hell does this thing has to go so fast? I'm can't keep this up for much longer…"_

"Liar." Ange stuck out tongue as she crossed her arms around her chest, clearly annoyed by her brother's obvious white lie, "You're not fine."

"Ange, that hurts! Now, why would your big brother-"

"Because you **always** get sick whenever we get on a boat."

"Well, not always-" He paused however upon seeing the unamused expression on his little sister's face, a stern look that left no room for any meaningless debate under its' harsh watch,

" _How scary…she almost looked like Kyire there for a second_ …Ihihihihihihi… you really are bright kid, aren't you Ange?" Battler give off a weak laugh before offering his sister another smile, a more genuine one this time. He couldn't help but be amused by her stubbornness to root out the source of her brother's discomfort, as if it was a grand mystery that needed to solve for her naive curiosity to be satisfy, "I can't get anything past you, can I?"

"So, you **were** lying."

"Eh-"

"Oh, I wouldn't say he was lying, Ange." A voice spoke up from behind them, soon they were join by a well-dressed young man, "He was probably telling the truth about wanting to see island, he just didn't want you to worry about him, that's all."

The young girl blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer before pouting at her older cousin, "But Georgy, that doesn't excuse him for lying about it!"

"Well, I'm sure that he meant no harm by it." He said with a playful wink, "Ange, why don't you head over to where the captain is and ask him if he could lower the boat's speed for a little while, hmmm? I'm sure that would make Battler feel a more comfortable for the rest of the journey."

"…Fine." With that said, she quickly left towards the other side where the rest of the family were relaxing, leaving the two alone on the helm of the boat.

"George-

 ** _Thump_**

"-you're a real life-saver, you know that?" Battler muttered as he leaned over the edge of the railing for support, " _It's only last for a bit longer… just a bit longer…"_

"Well I certainly couldn't leave you to keep suffering like that." George gave off a small chuckle as he leaned forward to rest against the railing, "Besides, it was getting pretty tiring watching everyone laughing at your expense throughout the whole ride here."

"Heh, I knew it…those jerks…"

"Oh, I won't be too harsh on them, it does get pretty boring when all you can do is just sat around and make pointless small talk for nearly a whole hour."

"Jeez…You're too lenient on those guys."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. After all, it's not that much different from the way you treat Ange, is it?"

"Hey! That's completely different! One is my adorable little sister while the rest are a group of old leaches taking pleasure at the sight of a poor man's suffering!

"Poor?"

And off they went, making useless banter as they waited for the old boat to slow down. Useless banter that offered no real meaning other then to spare them of their heavy burden of needing to wait with the rest of family and to rekindle the friendship that been weaken over Battler's six-year absence from the Ushiromiya's family conferences.

It was definitely much easier then making peace with his own father.

 ** _Thump_**

"So, tell me, I know it has been long time but… Be honest, how do you see it?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Rokkenjima." Battler couldn't help but stare in surprise upon seeing his cousin's sombre expression, it was a look that he didn't recall seeing that often when they been younger, "What comes to mind when you see Rokkenjima?"

"Well I-"

His eyes shifted their tired gaze towards the ever-approaching figure of Rokkenjima. If he was to be quite frank with himself, then was nothing really remarkable about it. This wasn't his first time seeing it and after nearly visiting the island dozens of times during his youth, the overall charm and wonder of it's imposing scenery and size had simply wore off.

There was nothing new to see and he suspected that, there nothing had changed since his last visit.

Still…

" _Huh, would you look at that…all the seagulls are flying away from the island…_ How ominous…"

He hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, a slip of the tongue really. It was only until he was startled by his cousin's sudden laugher that he realised his own blunder,

"Ihihihihihihi …You really haven't change that much, have you, Battler? Always the one for putting up a good show, eh?"

"Eh-"

"Ah, Ange!"

George smiled upon seeing the approaching figure of the young girl, however that friendly smile soon faltered upon seeing the down-casted expression pasted all over her face, "Ange, what's wrong? Were you not able to speak to the captain?"

"No, I spoke to him, but-" She paused, biting softly upon her lower lips as if anxious by the very answer she was about gave, "But the captain said Papa wanted us to keep going full-speed until we were much closer to the harbor, so he said no."

"…"

"…"

"… _That old bastard… Definitely going to ki-_

 ** _Thump_**

 _"_ _Shit... I'm going to vomit…"_

* * *

" _Oh, thank god, it stopped moving."_

For a brief moment, he considered jumping straight off the boat, falling onto his knees and kiss the floor until he was certain that he indeed on solid land once more…

Of course, that would make him seem like an unhinged lunatic in the eyes of his entire family. So instead, Battler waited until the boat properly docked near the harbor before getting off, being the first one to place his wobbly feet upon the wooden pier.

" _Whew! So stable… it's finally over…"_

 _"_ Hehhh." Immediately, he felt a large hand brush careless against his head, "Jeez, you sure love giving us a good show whenever we're on a god-damn vehicle, don't you little brat?"

"Hey, watch the hair!"

"Ho-oh? Don't tell me that you're scared of me ruining that ugly nest laying on your head?"

"S-shut up you old ba- "

"Welcome." Startled, Battler shifted his gaze to find a large man in a tuxedo standing only a few feet away from them, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Rudolf."

 _"_ Same **,** Gohda." Rudolf cracked a wide smile, offering a friendly handshake towards the unfamiliar man, "It's good to see that you're still lurking about, I trust that my brother hasn't driven you to your breaking point yet, has he? I would hate to see that talent of your gone to waste for nothing."

"Ah, you're too kind sir." The man replied with a polite smile as he shook Rudolf's hand, "It warm my heart to hear such tender words for such a lowly servant such as myself."

"Heh, smooth as always…Ah yes! This is your first-time meeting Battler, isn't it?"

"Ah, so you must be Battler! It's honor to finally meet you sir, I'm Toshiro Gohda, your servant."

"Ah, thanks…it's a pleasure to meet you as well. _(Damn, he's pretty tall, isn't he?_ ")

"Thank you. If you're to need anything during your stay here, please don't feel hesitate to rely on me. Now if you're to excuse me…" With that said, Gohda went on to quickly greet and assist the other Ushiromiya members as they disembark from the boat with their luggage.

" _So, he's more like a friendly giant, huh? Must be new here… "_ Battler noted as he watched as the others trailed behind Gohda as he led them towards the path that would led straight to the island's mansion.

There was George and his parents, Eva and Hideoyoshi, making small chat with the tall servant as if catching up with the latest gossip that has occurred since their last visit to the island, followed closely by Kumasawa, one of the family oldest servants. There his parents of course, his father and Ange's mother Kyrie, engaging in what appeared to be an intense discussion. Beside them, there was-

" _Shit, that's right, I can't believe I nearly forget about it…_ Hey Kyrie!"

"Hmmm?" She paused, an act that did not go unnoticed by her husband who chose to stay behind from the main group, both curious to hear what Battler wanted to say,

Will Aunt Rosa and Maria not be joining us for this year's conference?"

"… what makes you say that?"

"( _Jeez, I feel like an idiot for asking this but_ -) Well, I always remembered that everyone used to come all together in one single trip here and back, so I couldn't help but wonder if-"

"Oh no, they' already here." Kyire said while passing a knowing look towards her husband, who simply gave off a small shrug, "They actually arrived a day earlier then expected."

"A-ah, I see…"

"…Well come now, let not keep everyone waiting, shall we?"

"R-right."

Soon, both Kyrie and Rudolf quickly left to join the others, leaving Battler alone to ponder on his lingering thoughts within that empty harbour,

" _Six long years, huh…_ The young men thought as his hand pull back his spiky hair, " _Jeez, isn't this nostalgic? I almost feel like a kid coming back here…"_

"Hmmmm."

"Eh?" He turned his head to find a familiar red-hair girl standing only a few inches away from him, staring at the sky with a sour expression written all over her face,

"Oh, there you are, Ange. ( _I can't believe I nearly didn't see her there.)_ What the matter? I thought you would be with Aunt Eva and-"

 _"_ I can't hear it…"

 _"_ Huh?" He moved closer, crouching down to meet her an even level, "What's wrong? What can't you hear?"

"The seagulls…" Her frown grew deeper as if frustrated by her own lack of understanding of the given situation, "I can't hear the cries of the seagulls _…"_

 _"…_ _That right, I remember now… they always use to greet us with those annoying "nyaaa, nyaaa" …_ Ah, they probably left due to the bad weather. Birds can always tell when a storm is coming."

"…But it isn't raining yet…"

"Hmmm? You didn't know, Ange~?" Battler said in with a wide grin, "Predicting the weather is what those dumb birds are best at! What else you think they do beside loafing around all day?"

"…"

"Hey, what's with that silly pout? Trust me, they'll be back as soon as the storm is over, so why don't you put a smile on that grumpy face in the meantime, huh?"

Slowly, a small smile began forming upon the corners of her mouth, instantly brightening the gloomy atmosphere that once surrounded her,

"See? Was that so hard? Come on now, let get going. Everyone is waiting for us."

"Okay."

And off they went, to embark upon the narrow path within the thick forest that would led them straight to the heart of Rokkenjima.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading!**  
 **Please don't feel hesitate to ask any questions about the story or to point out any grammatical errors you may find within this chapter.**  
 **Until next time, have a pleasant day.**


	3. The Witch's Portrait

_**Chapter 3: The Witch's Portrait(Part 1)** _

* * *

{ **?- Moments before the start of the first game.** }

 _"_ _I-"_

Her head was throbbing with pain as she stood up, her legs wobbled as if they were burdened by a heavy weight…

 _"_ _Where am I?"_

Bernkastel blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light emitting from the ceiling above her. From what she could see, there laid two columns of wooden seats that stretched from where she stood to the end of the room itself, barely separated by a thin red carpet that covered the center of the floor.

 _"_ _I know this place, this is-"_

She frowned as her eyes shifted their gaze upwards, catching sight of an old glass chandelier that hover over a small altar.

 _"_ _This place is a chapel, isn't it?"_

Underneath it laid several strained glass windows, their beauty and craft-ship were fully displayed through the bright light that shone through it, breathing life to the various images featured on each of them. Upon a closer examination of the images, it was easy to note the familiar religious scenes and symbolism displayed across each window, all attempting to bring forward a sense of holiness upon the very fabric of the building.

 _"_ _No, not just a chapel, this place is-"_

As if sparked by that mere thought, her memories began rushing back to her like a broken dam. The odd yet familiar fragment that she found in the endless sea…her rage at its' sheer stupidity… and that hand…

 _["_ _ **With any luck, our host shall soon be ready and will join you shortly. All you need to do is just be patient**_ _."]_

"… _I see, so this is_ _Rokkenjima's chapel, huh…"_

That much was obvious. After all, where else could she be? There was no place that existed within any Rokkenjima's gameboard that could be mistaken for this lonesome building.

Besides, it was hard after all to forget the very spot where she had once given a particular witch her long sought-out funeral…

 _"_ _So, they dragged me here of all places… how cute_."

Bernkastel began walking forward across the aisles, moving at a slow pace as her eyes carefully scanned each section of the large room, eager to find any small detail that didn't add up, something that could signify its' falsehood… but alas, she found nothing…

" _Dear me,"_ She frowned, her legs begin moving at a faster pace as if reacting to her growing irritation, " _They certainly went for the extra mile to make sure that every little corner was perfect to the smallest detail…"_

 _"_ _What a waste of time."_

It was a rather crude remark (not that she was ever one for polite talk…), but it was the truth, wasn't it? After all, there was no need to trick her in believing that this unremarkable room was indeed part of the original game-board. Not even a dim-witted fool from the Senate itself could fool themselves into believing that a witch like Bernkastel would be this gullible…

" _Honestly, who would even bother coming up with such a ridiculous idea after all this time_?"

Still…if this little stunt was instead simply designed to impress her, something to show off their intimate knowledge of a world that once consumed so much of her and Lambda 's time in some ill-conceived plan to gain the great witch's favour…

Then it was obvious that whoever was responsible for this mess could only be described as an honest-to-god idiot who had no idea the type of monster that they had chosen to drag into their little miserable world.

 _"_ _Of course, it has to be an idiot…"_

She gave off a small sigh before finally stopping in her tracks, her dull purple eyes shifting their sharp gaze towards the large wooden door that stood directly in front of her. Careless, she lifted her hand out of her long cloth sleeve towards the door-knob, her fingers tighten their grip upon its' cold surface,

 _"_ _I always end up being the one dealing with the idiots, don't I?_

That was how it usually went, didn't it? No matter where she went, sooner or later, she would always found herself at the whims of some half-witted lunatic who thought themselves as some almighty Greek god who could bend the world at the mere snap of their fingers, (in most cases, she supposes they weren't that far off from the truth…), all seeking to conquer and humiliate the great witch of miracles into mere submission.

 _"_ _If aren't an idiot trying to grovel at my feet for approval, then it's an idiot who thinks that they can make to make me into their little pretty doll…"_

Of course, no matter what they did, those same idiots would eventually end up realise that at the very end of their little, pathetic games that their "little pretty doll" had become one pulling their strings…

Again, she sighed, " _If it's is an idiot I have to deal with, then I suppose there's no way around it, is there?"_

Without any hesitation, she opened the door and… and was greeted by the sight of not an exit or another door blocking her path, but a large painting that somehow managed to covered the entire frame of the exit.

"… "

It was a portrait of a young beautiful women sitting carelessly upon a large chair. Despite her youthful face and childish outfit that gave off the impression of a high schooler, there was no mistaking the raw confidence that oozing off her through the way she held herself. her narrow blue eyes and wide smile only strengthen that self-image of power.

The golden butterflies that surrounded her only seem to add another layer of majestic that was the portrait of the Endless Golden Witch.

"…"

Bernkaskel stared at it for a good awhile, her own sharp eyes meeting her counterpart' own confident glance. It felt almost like as if the portrait itself was taunting her, taunting her into taking a risk and face whatever challenge laid within her perfect cat-box of infinite possibilities, to see if she could truly call herself the witch of miracles.

 _"_ _Staring me down as if we were equals… Now aren't that hilarious?"_ Almost instantly, the witch could already feel another of her "pretty smiles" tugging at her lips, her hands itching to smash that smug face into mere pieces for even daring to place that awful thought in her mind, _"Even in place like this, I can't help but want to tear that kid's guts out and rip it apart."_

It was quite a gloomy, (and she dare say), childish reaction to have over a worthless painting of a women that had never truly existed…. but she supposes it was only natural response. She wasn't the type to simply forgive and forget those who had so carelessly trample all over her pride as a wandering witch.

 _["_ _ **With any luck, our host shall soon be ready and will join you shortly. All you need to do is just be patient**_ _."]_

Again, those words flashed within her mind, as if patiently reminding the witch not dwell on old grudges and focus on the current situation that she unwittily found herself in,

" _How annoying…not only I am dealing with an idiot_ , _it also has to be a pretentious host who can't even mutter up a half-decent reception for their own guest..._ _ **Fine."**_

In a mere instant, the painting that had stood so firmly against the wall completely vanished, revealing the exit of the building. The only visible proof of its' prior existence was the hundreds of little pieces of grey fabric that laid helpless upon the floor in front of the amused witch's feet.

" _Alright then, I'll play along for now."_

 _"_ _Let see how long this idiotic fool can keep me amused before I grow too bored with them, hmmm?"_

* * *

 **AN: And that's all she wrote...**

 **I do apologize if this chapter felt a little slower and shorter compared to the previous ones, I originally planned for this to be an much longer chapter, but I was having trouble with connecting this scene with the others without making it seem all awkwardly paced.**

 **Plus, with my horrid(aka lack of) updating schedule, it didn't felt right to hold off updating this fic for such a long time. So for the moment, this is what you get, sorry.**

 **Still, I would to thank everyone for taking the time to read and follow this little story of mine, I've really enjoyed reading and interacting through the reviews you've given me (:**

 **I'll try my best to see if I can finish the next chapter at more reasonable pace, so please do be patient until then.**

 **Until next time, Have a wonderful day.**

 **Edit: Ah, yes. I'm currently upholding a poll to see if you guys would prefer if I were to change the name of this story. It's only two opinions, either to keep it the same or to change it to "The Silence of the Golden Witch."(Of course, if you guys have any interesting suggestions, I'm more than happy to hear it!)**


	4. The Witch's World

**AN: Here we are again, another long awaited update.**  
 **Thank you all for those who took the time to review on this fic, I really do appreciate it (:**

 **Without further ado, Please Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 4: The Witch's Portrait(2/2)**

* * *

 **Shall we begin?**

* * *

 **{The First day: October 4, 1986}**

It was a bit shameful for him to admit, but truth to be told…there weren't many things that Battler could remember from his previous visits to the island of Rokkenjima.

Sure, given enough time, his brain could start digging out those fuzzy memories of the fun reckless activities that he and his cousin Jessica had gotten themselves into whenever they had that chance to escape from their parents'(and to a lesser extent, George) ever watchful glance during those dreadful and boorish conferences.

If he was even luckier, his mind could probably start recognizing some of the physical layout of both the mansion and nearby woods that he used explore aimless whenever his boundless curiosity got the best of him, much to his poor late mother's unending grief.

" _I really was a spoiled kid back then."_

But…perhaps it was due to long passage of time had passed since his absence from the family conferences, ( _or maybe it was the stress of having to deal with my old man's shitty life choices?_ ) but for Batter, what he could actually remember from those distant days always felt like that a pleasant dream that came to him once in a blue moon.

Yet, as he walked though the grand spectacle that was the head family's prized rose garden, an almost otherworldly place that should have been bringing back all those lost memories as his eyes absorb all of its'' lush and grander that once been a regular sight for him to behold every time he had visited, a place where it should have made him pause and marvel at its' raw beauty…

Batter couldn't even muster up a smile to pretend that he was even enjoying himself… A fact that did not go unnoticed.

"Oh, dear me, it seems that our little Batter has grown quite bored already! Hoh-hoh-ho~"

"Eh?" Startled by the unexpected laughter, he snapped out of his musings, pausing mid-way in his tracks before turning around to face Kumasawa, who look back at him with a wide (if somewhat devious) smile that stretched to the edges of her wrinkled face,

"It seems that you still haven't grown up much, have you, Master Batter?"

"Mas-Oh jeez granny, don't call me that!" The young man said, a sharpish grin quickly appeared upon his face, as if to hide the bright blush clearly evident on his checks, "I know it has been a couple of years but, come on! None of this "master" business, you're just going make me feel like one of those creepy old geezers!"

"Ho-hoh~ oh dear me, I hope that I haven't embarrassed you now, have I? Here I thought that you were the sort of men that wouldn't pass up the chance to have a beautiful woman such as myself swooning at your feet."

" _Beautiful_?" Batter couldn't help but snort loudly at that far-fetch self-description. As long what he could remember, Kumasawa always seemed to be the type that enjoyed teasing into others with her endless barter and gossip, always eager to get people talking no matter how outrageous the topics may seem at times.

Still, it would be a lie if he said that he wasn't amused by the mere thought that this fragile looking old lady, who nearly rivaled his own grandfather in age, could still somehow capture the fleeting hearts of young men looking for love…

"Ihihihi… I think we can safety agree, _granny_ , that you and I have two very different standards of beauty."

"Ho-hoh-ho~"

On-the off corner of his eyes, Batter could already see that they were falling behind, Gohda was already leading the rest of the group further ahead out of the rose garden that surround them and moving them closer towards the grand mansion that stood at the end of the trail.

" _Damn, aren't they fast? Almost feel like as if we were a tourist group or something…"_

Neither his father nor his sister seemed to notice his absence. The old man was still preoccupied with Kyrie (not surprising), while Ange was standing close to Aunt Eva, laughing at a joke that the older women was making, her chubby little face brimmed with absolute joy.

* * *

 **Aren't that an amusing sight.**

* * *

Batter blinked. His head twisted sideway as if expecting to face someone that stood next him. Yet… it was only just him and the old maid.

He frowned. For a moment, he could have sworn that-

"Oh dear." Kumasawa exclaimed, finally taking notice that they had fallen quite behind from the rest of the group as a result of their silly barter,

"It seems that everyone has completely forgotten about us!" We might as well get move on. Otherwise-" She offered him a playful wink, "The witch will gob us all up before supper!"

" _Witch_? _she said witch, right?_ Battler thought, puzzled by the older women's strange remark. Slowly a faded memory began popping in his head, the distract voice of his mother calling out to him,

[" ** _Batter, please come back! I don't want you to get eaten by that nasty witch_** _!]"_

" _Ah, I remember now. That's the old fairy tale that the old man and mom always told me at night to keep me out of the woods whenever we visited_."

" _The witch of Rokkenjima."_

 _"_ A witch, eh? Ihihihi… Come on granny." Batter smirked, gesturing his hands in dismissal manner, "Don't you think I'm a little too old for that kind of nonsense?"

"Oh?"

"Honestly, it's one thing to try frightening Ange with that type of crap, but don't expect me to fall over and start foaming at the mouth over some silly occult thing that grandfather made up in his spare time, Ihihihi…."

"…Oh, dear me, don't tell me you have forget? The old women said, her face suddenly becoming deprived of emotions, "What a great shame that would be that… _'_

"W-what?"

"I suppose I have no choice then."

Unconsciously, he took a step back way from her, already feeling creepy out by the women's sudden shift in demeanour. "What are you talking about? ( _What with the sudden creepy atmosphere? It almost feels like the opening of one of those cheesy American slasher films.)"_

"I was hoping to wait a bit longer to do this but…" She sighed as she began walking forward, bypassing a very confused Batter,

"I suppose I'll have to take you to see her then."

"Eh? I'm sorry but, w-who are we're talking about again?"

"Why, Beatrice of course."

* * *

 **Are you finally going to make things enjoyable now** **?**

* * *

After passing through the entrance hall of the mansion, Battler (almost blindly) followed Kumasawa deeper into the mansion, unsure of what exactly she was so eager to show him.

" _Easy now, old friend. No need to be nervous, it's not like she is dragging me to some sinister hidden room to kill me off-scene, ihihihi…"_

As they walked towards their destination, Batter took the time to quietly absorbed every little detail that he could gathered from their little side trip. From the various pieces of foreign art and furniture that hung closely to the beautifully decorated walls to the erratic design of the enormous hallways that surrounded them as they made their way through to… well wherever their destination laid.

It was almost as if every piece of the mansion that Battler saw only served to reinforce his old childhood memories of a gloomy (if not frightening) elderly man desperate to recreate his own little corner of the world in the image of the West…

" _Heh, just like what my old man always says, Grandfather never really a taste for the old classics, huh?"_

 _"_ Ah, here we are."

Eventually, after several minutes of walking, the old women abruptly stopped. The room that they were in was rather large, something that felt completely unnecessarily given its' close proximity to the stairway that led to the upper floors of the mansion. From what he could see, it was nearly devoid of any notable furniture that he had seen earlier, only just some wide windows that allowed onlookers to peek on whatever was the other side of the mansion.

It almost felt like he had stepped into place that merely existed for the sake of just being clean by the family's servants. No real purpose, just an empty hollow room.

That was of course until he finally noticed the painting.

* * *

 **…Again? You're showing me this again?**

* * *

"…"

It was a large portrait of a young beautiful women, gracefully posing for whomever was painting her. She wore a striking black ballgown-like dress that fitted her perfectly, almost reminiscent of those old European style clothing that the he often seen in Western history books.

Her startling bright blue eyes and elegant smile gave the image of someone oozing with self-confidence, daring anyone to come and challenge her. This was a woman who knew, with absolute certainty, that she stood high above the rest of the world.

 _"So, this is the witch."_ He noted silently, unconsciously taking a step forward, both his mind and body was being drawn by the very essence of the women's portrait, " _Beatrice, huh?_

He supposed it was a natural reaction, this was something that he had never seen before, something by whom its very presence set itself apart from everything that existed on this lonesome island…

"She is quite beautiful, aren't she?"

 _"Beautiful_?" Batter didn't say anything to Kumasawa who stood behind him. He simply remained silent and continued staring at it, his eyes unable pry themselves off the surreal image that stood front of him.

No, to say that she was beautiful was the same as one saying that sky was blue. It wasn't enough. That simple plain (even dirty) word wasn't enough to describe the divine face that stare down at him.

"Oh my…are you going to read the epithet?"

"… _eh_?"

Battler blinked. It took him a second to realise that he missed something while he had been- _AHEM-_ gawking at the women's portrait. Standing right in front of him was a plate made from marble.

" _What's this?"_ He took a step towards it, his eyes began scanning through the long pieces text written upon its' smooth surface, " _Is this some sort of poem?"_

[ ** _The river of the sweat-fishes run through my dear hometown_** _.]_

It began innocently enough, giving of the impression a love-struck man writing earnestly of his long aching travels to seek to whom Battler could only assume to be Beatrice, his one true love.

Then he read the twelve verse.

 ** _[At the first night, offer six people of the key's choice as sacrifices.]_**

 ** _"_** _Hey, hey, hey_." A drip of sweat begin dripping down his forehead as he continued reading, the epithets' text become more and more bizarre and twisted with each passing word,

[ ** _At the fourth night, gouge the head and kill_** ]

[ ** _At the firth night, gouge the chest and kill_** ]

[ ** _At the sixth night, gouge the belly and kill_** ]

 _"Seriously, what the hell am I reading here?"_

[ ** _At the ninth night, the witch shall be revived, and none shall survive.]_**

He felt a shiver ran down his spine as he continued reading. By the time he reached the end, the epitaph had ended the same way that it started, with text reaffirming whom this poem was dedicated towards,

[ ** _Sleep in peace, my most beloved witch Beatrice_**.]

Shaken, Battler took a step away from the plate, in fact it felt like as if his legs were almost eager take him from that dreadful spot. He paused for a moment however, his eyes hesitantly looked up once more and met the witch's stare.

" _Ihhihih… so this is the_ _ **witch**_ _of Rokkenjima."_ He repeated to himself, an uneasy feeling began knotting itself tighten within his stomach.

It was almost felt like a one big sick joke, really. Only mere seconds ago he had been utterly captative by this women's unworldly charm. But now…he didn't even know what he felt.

Was this the painting of the same cruel witch that parents always warned him about when he had been a small child? The one lurked deep with the woods, eagerly waiting for night to fell upon the island and freely roam to devour whomever disrespect her glorious name?

Almost immediately, Battler shook his head in dismay, a sense of shame washed over him for even daring to think such idiotic thoughts,

 _"Of course, it isn't it, dumbass. It's just some god-damn painting with some creepy text, that's it. So, what on earth am I getting work up for? There's nothing to be scared here."_

 _"After all, witches don't exist."_

"Ho-hoh-ho~ oh my, you look quite frighten my child!"

Upon hearing the older women's concerned voice, Batter's mind jarred back to reality. Slowly he turned to face the only other living person within the room.

"It seems to me that you have seen a ghost Ho-hoh-ho~!"

"…yeah, you could say that."

"Hmmm~." Compared to what Batter must have looked with his unnerved expression, Kumasawa was awfully relaxed. Nothing about her body language give any indication of her being frighten by the witch's over looming presence within the room (A fact that only brought even further sense of embarrassment upon the young men's shoulders…).

" _Jeez, if mye old men were to see me now, he'll probably be laughing his ass off for how stupid I'm acting."_ Eager to brush off his prior childish reaction, Battler quickly steer the conversation away from him, "No seriously, this painting is…quite impressive." He paused, his mind struggling to find the right words to say without making him seem like a bigger idiot who clearly had no idea of what he was saying, "It's really quiet something, isn't it? Grandfather must have payed a small fortune to whomever drew her to sure that they wouldn't overlook the smallest of details…"

"Oh yes." The old women remarked, a small smile gracing her face, "Nearly give poor master Krauss a heart attack when he finally realized how much it would end up costing the family's fortune. Ho-hoh-ho~"

Laugher bubbled inside Battler as a cartoonish image of his hot-blooded uncle popped up into his head, "Iheihihi, yeah, I suppose you're right about that. Still, I never thought grandfather would be interested in this type of stuff… but than again, the things you do for love, right?"

"Hmmm~"

"He really must miss grandmother that much, huh?"

"…."

Almost instantly, Battler knew he must have said something wrong. For a brief moment-in fact he almost missed it entirely, - Kumasawa's face darken before quickly returning to her normal cheerful expression.

" _What the hell was that about?"_ The young men wondered. Before he could say anything else to address it, a soft voice spoke up from behind them,

"Ah, so this is where you were."

Surprised, Battler swiftly turned around and find himself staring at an unfamiliar young lady. Judging from the way she was dressed; it was obvious that she was one of the many servants that served within his family household. She was much younger compared to Kumasawa or even Gouda, but it was hard for Battler to determine her actual age due to her youthful (and pretty) face. For all he knew she either could be either be a teenager approaching adulthood or a woman seeking to build up her career through the fame Ushimoyria family connections,

" _A maid_ , _huh… No, I don't think we've meet, this is someone new. I don't recognize their face. Beside her hair's black unlike-"_

"Forgive me for the interpretation-" She offer them a short bow, "But, the Madame and Master is asking for you, Kumasawa."

"Oh dear, oh dear." Kumasawa said, her hands flew to her mouth, "Don't tell me that they are planning to start this early? I thought that Master Krassus was going to wait until noon to start the meeting!"

"That was the plan… but Lady Eva _insisted_ that the meeting should begin immediately as soon as everyone had the chance to settle in their rooms."

"Ah, is that so?" The old lady hummed quietly to herself before turning to face Battler with an apologetic expression, "Well then, I afraid to say Battler, but I must cut our little trip short for now. There're so much things that must be prepare if I wish to keep your aunt happy for the rest of afternoon."

He nodded, "Of course, I understand. You're the boss after all, if you weren't around, I doubt that anyone here would get any work done around without your 'rigorous _'_ overwatch to keep everyone in line, ihhihi…" He showed off a small smile, which Kumasawa was quickly to share 'But seriously, thank you granny for showing me around. This, this was really _interesting_ to see after all."

"Ho~hoh, it was my pleasure." The old lady turned to leave, however just as she was about to leave the room, she paused.

"Battler."

"Yeah?"

"Please don't forget, that our fair lady does exist, you know? She would hate it if you were to keep doubting that within her presence."

Battler could only stare at her, his mouth twitched, "Hey that-" However, she already had left before he could even finish his sentence.

"… _God damn it, granny, you really aren't going to let this go, huh?"_ He grimaced. He could feel his fingers scratching nervously against the skin of his neck, _"Witches, of course it had to be witches… First it was mother using them as a spooky monster to keep me out of the woods and now you're trying to make me relive that fear to make me think this old mansion is cursed or something for your own shit and giggles …Jeez why does everyone still think that I'm so gullible to believe in this type of stuff?"_

"Master Battler?"

Startled, it took Battler a second to realize that the maid was still there, standing a merely a few feet away from him,

"Oh. Oh hello. _(…that was a pretty shitty response.)_ "

"Hello…Forgive me for asking, but is there something that you need?

"Eh?"

"Lady Ange told me that you were feeling quite unwell on the voyage here, so I can't help but wonder if you required some medicine to help with the illness." The black-haired maid said. She spoke with a level of elegance that one would expect of a refine servant dutifully fulfilling their duty, a true proper lady, "It wouldn't really be much trouble if I were to hurry to the kitchen and-"

"N-no, no. I'm fine. I'm feeling much better now, thank you" Battler shook his head, he could already feel the heat rushing toward his cheeks at the thought of his little sister fussing over him in front of their aunts and uncles, " _Ange Ange, What would I do without you?"_

"Oh." She bit her lips softly before she went on speaking, "Then shall I lead you back to the guest house, Master Battler? Lady Jessica told me that it has been quite long time since you last attend a family meeting."

"Nah, that's quite alright. I want to stick around for a little bit and spend some more time exploring this old place on my own. It should help refresh my memoires and see what else has change since I last visited."

"…I see. Well, then I'll take my leave."

With a polite bow, she was about to turn and make her exist, before Battler suddenly spoke up once more, an old sweet memory came rushing towards him,

 ** _["Yeah I promise. I'll come riding for you on a white horse!"]_**

'Hey, wait a minute!

"...?"

"You don't happen to know if any of the other cute young maids working here that are close to my age, do you?"

"…"

The maid blinked upon hearing at his question, soon she began shifting uncomfortably as a awkward silence fell between them. It took Battler a moment to grasp what exactly he has just blunted out.

 _"Shit, I did not word that out carefully"_

"Umm, listen I didn't mean to-" He paused, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves., "I apologize for that. That was a pretty shitty thing for me to say right off the bat. I didn't mean to offend."

"…"

"I just… sorry, I know this is going to sound stupid, but can we start over again? He suggested, offering a warm smile in attempt to convey his pure intentions, "My name is Battler Ushimoryia, it's nice to meet you."

She stared at him for a little while before a faint smile brushed upon her lips, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, my name is-"

* * *

 **No, we're not doing that.**

* * *

At once, a grand empty silence fell upon the room.

Both Battler and the young maid stood still- no, _frozen_ where they stood, not moving a single muscle within their bodies. To a passing onlooker, it would almost appear as if they were stone statues then living beings made out of flesh and blood.

There was no trace of any vibrant color that could be seen upon their faces, clothing or even the portrait itself. Instead, everything had taken on a dull dead grey color that had crawl upon of every little corner, as if signaling to the entire world that this space no longer belonged to the realm of the living. Now it was part of the vast strange unknown, the witch's world.

Yes, this unremarkable room was now indeed a place that existed outside the boundaries of time and logic. An empty space that was now utterly dead…with the expectation of a very, _very_ bored blue haired witch impatiently waiting for something of interest to happen.

"Dull…"

"…"

"How utterly dull **.** ** _"_** Bernsrkel repeated. She stood in front of the two now lifeless figures, paying little attention to what she considered to be little more then useless furniture that couldn't even satisfy her expectations. She wasn't even looking at the now lifeless portrait of the fame Golden Witch, a portrait that which she swore to herself that if she had to look again at such dreadful imaginary that she would… well some things are best left unspoken.

Instead the witch's cold stare was center towards the small cup of tea that she firmly within her grasp. Half-heartily, she lifted it towards her lips, a look of displeasure washed over her pale face as the unpleasant lukewarm sensation become apparent within her mouth.

"How disgusting." She muttered as her fingers gently tip the cup slightly over, spoiling the reminder of its' content upon the wooden floor, "No matter how many times I contrived up a drink for myself to enjoy, it always ends up like this. I never can grasp how those damn demons make such wonderful tea and treats…oh well."

"So." She twisted her head upwards, her cold glance shifting once more towards the ceiling, "If you're done screwing around, why you don't come out already?"

…

 _"…_ Come now." She was speaking in a much friendly tone, although the expression that was evident on her face told quite a different story, ""It's one thing to give off a shitty reception, but it's another to be a shitty host, don't you think? There's no point keeping up in this little charade of yours, I'm sure you already had enough fun making me watch such dreadful scenes for nothing. So why don't you come out and let us discuss this like two civil adults, hmmm?"

…

…

…

"Oh, I see, so that's how you're going to response, huh…?"

Bernsrkel turned to face the two frozen figures, her empty glance settled upon a familiar sight,

"You know, I had to deal with a lot of idiots in my lifetime as a witch. I've seen idiots who thought that they could conquer the world by doing absolutely nothing in their short miserable lives. There were others who set themselves on fire in thinking that their stupidity would grant them some type of useless enlightenment that would solve all their silly problems. Yes, I've dealt all sorts of idiots, but this one-" She lifted her arm up, her finger pointing towards the suppose 'hero' of this tale,

" **This was the biggest idiot of them all**." Bernsrkel remarked harshly. A part of her took a bit of pleasure in using the old game rules in humiliating this useless piece once more, "He couldn't even figure out if he wanted to murder the one who took away his family, get on his kneels and beg her like a whimpering dog to save his sister's future happiness or make love to her for all eternity as her pathetic slave."

…

"… _Then again, who am I to judge_?" The witch mummer softly to herself, " _In end, we don't choose whom we end loving, it just… happens doesn't it_?"

…

"Oh well." She shrugged, "It doesn't change the fact that **the boy was such an incompetent fool**. He was quite a pain in the ass to work with, mind you, always insisting on doing things his way throughout the brief time I spent as that fool's sponsor. Even if it all ended up doing was wasting everyone precious time and delaying the natural outcome of that kid's tragedy."

…

"Still he did end up teaching me of all people some _very_ important life lessons that I think that would be very beneficial for our future relationship if this is the type of game that you're going to play with me."

 ** _Snap_**

With a quick snap of her fingers, a cluster of stakes appear out of thin air, standing mere inches from piercing the fragile body of the unnamed maid. All of them dripping in the bright color of red.

"The truth is such a wonderful thing to behold." Bernsrkel said as she calmly refilled her cup of tea with a little whisk of magic, "It can help us uncover the hidden secrets and gems that humans hide deep within their hearts to avoid having their precious fantasies from being expose and ruin in the eyes from the world." She paused before taking a small sip of her warm tea to quench her thirst,

"Personally, I see it more as an effective tool to get people to shut up for once and listen to me."

….

"So, if you aren't going to offer me a decent response." Bernsrkel tossed her head to one side, a thin smile was pasted on her lips, " **Then shall we resolve this like children?"**

"OH. ARE YOU BORED THEN, M'LADY **?"**

 ** _"_** **Should I rip this little girl's heart out before-** yes, of course I'm bored. Can't you take a hint already? _AHEM-_ **before we even get to learn-"**

She paused abruptly. Slowly, her eyes shifted to the person who had finally spoken.

 **"…"**

"ARE YOU BORED, M'LADY?"

Battler stood there, maintaining a calm relaxed posture, completely unbothered by the hundred of red stakes that threaten him and his companion, wearing only a simple friendly smile,

Yet as she continued to stare at him, it was plainly obvious that something wasn't right.

The longer she looked at him, his body become more and more distorted to look upon, as if it was trying to hide itself from her piercing glare. His face no longer resembled that of an average person, everything about it felt _wrong._ It was as if an unearthly creature had taken the poor boy's face and replace it with something that it had poorly stitched together in a vain hope of replicating what was lost. His smile… of course he had to continue smiling for his mouth was permanently fixed in an unending repulsion grin.

He was irritating, frightening and ghastly among many other things.

"… _My God."_ Bernsrkel blinked before giving off a small sigh. She slowly took another sip of her cold tea, " _They, they really don't know even know what they're doing at this point_ , _do they?"_

"ARE YOU BORED, M'LADY?" His lips did not move, yet the witch hear his irritating voice all the same, "ARE YOU BORED, M'LADY?"

" _Still, at least I'm no longer dealing with a wall of silence. I can work with this."_

 _"_ IF YOU'RE FEELING BORED M'LADY, THEN DO NOT FEAR, **ALL YOU MUST DO IS JUST BE PATIENT AND-"**

"No, no, **no.** We're not playing that game anyone. _"_ She gave the figure a chilly look, one that left no room for any further discussion, "I already gave you my answer before, didn't I? Yes, I'm indeed feeling quite bored by these unamusing antics of yours. So you don't want me to leave and turn this world into a pile of dust, I suggest it time that we've a proper conversation."

"…VERY WELL." The creature that was once Battler gave an apologetic bow, offering its' twitching hand to the disrupted witch,

"LET US GO AND MEET OUR FAIR MISTRESS."

* * *

 **AN: Well, that's where we must end things for now.**  
 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you liked or didn't like.**  
 **I'm always up to hear your constructive criticism.**  
 **Until next time, have a pleasant day.**

 **PS: Just a head up, I'm currently holding a poll to determine if I should change the current title for something else entirely. You can head to my profile page to find it and cast your vote! I will make my final decision next week depending on how many people choose to vote by then.**


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